Not much going on for the last few days, so I just threw some notes in at the bottom that sort of qualify as winter news, but it wasn’t worth a new article.
In Colombia on Sunday night, Francisco Acuna went 2-for-4 with two singles. On Tuesday, he went 0-for-3 with an RBI. Acuna was pinch-hit for late in the game and then Edgar Barrios took his spot at shortstop to finish the game. Acuna is hitting .273/.360/.273 through eight games. Barrios is hitting .167/.267/.167 in eight games, though he has started just three of those games.
Andres Arrieta made his third appearance and allowed one run on one hit in one innings. It was the first run he has allowed this winter, after throwing a total of three shutout innings in his first two appearances.
In Venezuela on Tuesday, Elvis Escobar needed just one well-timed out and six pitches to pick up his first win of the winter. He allowed one run in his debut, and since then he has thrown scoreless ball in his last five appearances, though he has only pitched a total of 4.2 innings this winter.
In the Dominican on Tuesday, Alfredo Reyes played a familiar role from this off-season. He pinch-ran in the eighth, then played the final two innings on defense without a plate appearances. He has batted just 29 times total in 18 games.
The season in Australia begins on Friday night, but I should have the results in Friday morning’s winter article due to the time difference. As of right now, Robbie Glendinning (pictured above) is the only active player of note in the league.
The season in Puerto Rico begins tomorrow and rosters haven’t been released yet. We know that at minimum, Gage Hinsz, Jerrick Suiter and Jordan Jess will all be in the league.
In other random news, Wyatt Mathisen signed as a minor league free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks, ending any possibility that he re-signs with the Pirates. The 2012 second round pick split this season with Altoona and Indianapolis, hitting a combined .261/.363/.440 in 90 games. He turns 25 in late December.
Right-handed pitcher Kleiner Machado was released on Tuesday. The 19-year-old from Venezuela pitched in the GCL this year, posting a 3.52 ERA in 23 innings over 12 relief appearances. Despite some control issues, he showed a lot of improvement in his pitching over last year according to those who saw him both years, so it is a bit surprising that he was released already.
